Vaccinated: Perfect Love & Perfect Trust

Last updated on: April 15, 2021 at 4:50 pm by Jason Mankey

Vaccinated: Perfect Love & Perfect Trust 2021-04-15T16:50:19-06:00 Jason Mankey

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The email advised me to arrive fifteen minutes early for my appointment. As I pulled into the parking lot, I was told “parking’s full, try the next lot over, first right.” I made my u-turn and headed over to the next lot, it too was full. The third lot wasn’t full, but I missed the entrance so I parked down the street, a little over a quarter of a mile from the vaccination site.

My reward for spending over an hour in line was this selfie with Dr. Fauci.

My appointment was for 11:05 AM, but as soon as I checked in and found out where to go, I knew that my vaccination would be much later in the day. I didn’t get the needle in my arm until sometime after noon, but it was worth it. The sky above me was blue, the temps were pleasant, and I was excited. I was going to be vaccinated, and get one step close to things returning to normal.

The ideal coven operates in “perfect love and perfect trust.” And while that might be more ideal than reality, it’s a mantra I try hard to live up to. Perfect love and perfect trust implies a level of responsibility that often weighs on me. “Perfect love and perfect trust” is about more than liking someone, it’s about being truthful towards other, and admitting your responsibilities towards those you circle with.

Perfect love and perfect trust requires that I get the COVID-19 vaccine. There’s simply no way I can have people in my home without first being vaccinated. There’s no way I can hug those I love without being vaccinated. It is my responsibility as a Priest to be vaccinated in order for coven activities to resume.

One of my mantras in life is “don’t be a dick.” This means I strive to treat others with respect, say “please and thank you” and try to be as inclusive, open, and welcoming as I can be. Do I play Ghost way too loudly sometimes? Absolutely, but the other 99% of the time I actively try to be a good neighbor. Being a good neighbor means getting a vaccine (it also means wearing a mask). There’s simply no way to live up to the idea of “don’t be a dick” unless I’m vaccinated.

I remember the first time I came across an antivaxxer. “I’ve done the research” she told me. I rolled my eyes. My wife is an immunologist. My wife has done the research. Quoting a discredited study is not “doing the research” it’s selectively choosing an article that confirms your bias.

Could there possibly be side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines on the market? Of course. There are side effects that come from taking aspirin. Very few things in life are full proof. You could choke to death while sipping your morning coffee.

Ghost’s 2018 album “Prequelle” was made for this damn pandemic.

841 million people have taken a COVID-19 vaccine on the day of this writing. This is no longer an “experimental vaccine,” and choruses of “wait and see” are ridiculous. Perhaps those individuals are waiting to see if the horse and buggy is safe? Perhaps they are still worried about motor cars?

Aren’t the chances of dying from COVID-19 small? Yes, but you can still die form it. And we have no idea what the long term affects of the disease are either. And “perfect love and perfect trust” is not just about ME, it’s about the people around me. It’s about the one person that can’t take the vaccine for legitimate health reasons. It’s about stopping variants to the disease so we don’t have to go through the past year all over again. “Selfishness,” apart from an allergy or underlying health condition, is the only reason not to take the vaccine.

And if you are selfish, are you sick of masks? Do you miss traveling? Do you miss sitting on your favorite bar stool? If the answer is yes to those questions get the vaccine. All of those things can resume when we reach herd immunity. 23% of Americans are fully vaccinated. That number needs to get up to 80%.

Worried about Bill Gates following you around if you get a vaccine? I regret to inform you that if you own a cellphone people are already following you around, and you pay for the privilege of it.

I’ve hated the last year and change. I miss meeting in perfect love and perfect trust. I miss my friends. I miss the friends I haven’t made yet.

If you choose not to be vaccinated I’ll still talk to you. We are all adults, and adults are allowed to make bad decisions. But if you value perfect love and perfect trust, I trust you’ll be vaccinated.

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